Commitment
by UntoldStories113
Summary: He'd keep Riley safe, and if it was the last thing he did! (Part 1 of the Whimsical Affinity series. Still written pre-movie, obviously.)


**Timeline note:** Set shortly before the move. Whether it's within the movie or not remains to be seen.

**Context note:** This was written post First Day clip but pre French trailer. ;) I was going to post it on the weekend, but today's "We need that layer!" post in the "headquarters" Twitter account fits so perfectly that I changed my mind. (I swear I wrote this on Monday!)

**General note:** So far, nothing contradicts my interpretations and headcanons. Quite pleased about that. :)

* * *

Joy had begun to massage her temple. Fear supposed he should be proud that he frequently managed to evoke exasperation in her even though that was really more of a Disgust thing.

"It's _possible_!" he defended himself pre-emptively, but on an intellectual level, he already knew she'd shoot down his suggestion. As always, come to think of it.

"Fear…" she started, turning away from the control panel to face him, doing her best to appear her chipper self. She had yet to realize that he could tell when it was fake by the brightness level of her skin.

He clutched his clipboard a little tighter. "It would just be one dream on the topic! If Riley isn't prepared..." he argued again, but this time, she wouldn't have it.

"_No one_ is prepared for an _Atmospheric Collapse_!" she burst out. She was staring at him, too, as if his suggestion had somehow been outrageous.

The others were staring as well, he noticed. In fact, Disgust was snickering at him.

Fear felt heat creep up in his cheeks, but he'd make sure Riley was safe, even if the others thought it was a good idea to make fun of him for it. "But Dad said..."

"Yes, I _heard_ Dad talking about it to his colleague!" Joy cut in immediately. "And _I_ also kept listening when he said that kind of thing happens on _Mars_!"

"Exactly!" Fear wailed, throwing up his arms and almost knocking himself out with his clipboard in the process. "That's, like, right next door!"

Joy closed her eyes, and her hand somehow found its way back to her temple. "It's just a random expression you picked up, Fear. Nothing more. There's no reason to fuss over it."

Was that supposed to be an argument _against_ his case? The lack of knowledge only made the possibility _more_ unpredictable and ominous! "You can't say for sure that it won't happen on Earth!" he insisted stubbornly.

Joy gave a sigh, and Fear took the opportunity to throw a glance at the window to the outside world. Riley was still packing her things. Good. He knew she owned nothing truly dangerous. He'd made sure of that.

"Fear," Joy said again, a little more gently this time, prompting him to face her again, "why should Riley prepare for something if she doesn't even understand what it _is_?"

"_I_ would!" he announced, and now Anger was smirking, too.

And Joy was smiling. Why did she _have_ to look so amused? Why didn't they even _try_ to understand?

As if noticing that her reaction was inappropriate, she hastily cleared her throat, then did her best to appear serious. And failed miserably. "Let's not bother Riley with imag-... _highly_ improbable danger scenarios just now, okay? She has enough on her plate as it is, what with moving and all."

"It would be _one_ dream," he muttered. He knew a lost cause when he saw one, but he was still unwilling to give up on common sense even if he was the only one trying to act on it.

They meant well, he kept repeating to himself. They loved Riley as much as he did. They just didn't understand.

"Anger, can you take over Dream Duty tonight?" Joy called across the room to where their friend was settled on a chair reading a newspaper and, apparently satisfied with the low growl she received in return, looked back at Fear again and flashed him a smile, this one genuine and radiant. "See? No need to drive yourself crazy over this. You can just go to sleep tonight, and I'm sure in the morning you'll see it all in a different light!"

Fear bit his lip and stared at a spot on the ground. "Fine," he finally conceded, furrowing his brows. "Tomorrow, then."

In his peripheral vision, he saw Joy's halo fade ever so slightly. Apparently, she'd had enough now.

"Fear, you are _not_ getting Dream Duty until _after_ the move!" she decided, as if that somehow settled the problem, in that pompous manner that no one knew how to counter, and then she turned around and - _walked away_, leaving him standing there like an idiot.

He sent a frown to the others, a little peeved about the lack of support. But Anger had long since immersed himself in his newspaper again, quietly simmering about something that seemed to have offended him. Sadness looked a bit sympathetic, but he knew the chances of her backing him against Joy were close to non-existent. Disgust just sneered at him and also left the room. His guess was that she was jealous about the Dream Duty thing. She loathed it, but only because she failed to see what potential it held in terms of guiding Riley into awareness of her surroundings and favoring safer alternatives in everyday choices.

Heaving a huge sigh, Fear quietly resigned himself to his fate and took over the now unmanned control panel that Joy had abandoned in her need for a grand exit. And as if on cue, he noticed Riley trying to stack _way_ too many books on top of each other, probably to carry them over to her suitcase. Fondly grumbling to himself, he made her take a few off the stack again until she had just fou-... three. Just in case.

He kept watching her progress, then, interfering from time to time, but his mind was elsewhere. In all honesty, sometimes, he wondered why Joy hadn't fired him yet.

But he'd show her, ha! He'd show all of them. He'd just wait until he got back on Dream Duty again - they couldn't keep him away from it forever! - would come up with a full emergency plan in the meantime, and _then_ he'd make sure Riley knew how to act in case the worst happened.

And even if he didn't get the chance, or if Riley _did_ prepare eventually and the Atmospheric Collapse killed her regardless...

Well, at least in their last moments, he'd have the pleasure of rubbing it in everyone's faces!

* * *

**Note:** I think I found my favorite character. ;)

Feedback is welcome. :)


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